4th of July totally speaks to me just because I've lived in slummy parts of southern California most of my life. It instantly transports me back to living on the Mexican side of Bakersfield, it hits so close to home. (And obligatory props to the hugely underrated songwriter Dave Alvin, who wrote it.)

13 Steps Lead Down is one of my top 10 Costello songs. Not sure why it's so obscure.

13 Steps Lead Down is one of my top 10 Costello songs. Not sure why it's so obscure.

For Nick Cave, I tend to think of The Abattoir Blues Tour and Lazarus as his two most under-appreciated albums. The live album is way more dynamic and less constrained than the studio album, and minimizes his weak upper-range. The versions of O Children, Stagger Lee, and Lay Me Low are so much better than the studio…

When I couldn't sleep at night back in the day, I used to just put Quarter To Three on repeat. Not in a bad way, it's just such a hypnotic song. I love it.

Car Jamming is possibly my favorite song on Combat Rock behind Straight To Hell. Huuuuuuugely underrated.

Also, I feel some of Bob Dylan's absolute best songs are from the '90s on, but often unappreciated by self-proclaimed Dylan fans/purists.

PUNK FUCKING ROCK
The Clash - Groovy Times, Gates of the West, All The Young Punks
Sleater-Kinney - Let's Call It Love (which is also, like, the sexiest song ever)
X - Sex And Dying In High Society, True Love Part Two

WHERE DOES AN 800 POUND GORILLA SLEEP?!
WHEREVER HE WANTS!

In terms of pre-punk edge, I think Motor Boys Motor and that extended version of Gloria ("I say fuck the discos") are probably better candidates, although Keys To Your Heart sure is great.

The Walker soundtrack *is* pretty awesome. Love Tennessee Rain, Unknown Immortal, Tropic of No Return, and Brooding Side of Madness, which is a pretty great atmospheric instrumental.

That might be because pitchfork is fucking terrible.

Dr. Feelgood
Most of their shit was pretty lame paint-by-numbers bluesy rock, but Down By The Jetty is a pretty listenable album and not as bad as the article might suggest.

Also, the Mescaleros? Better live. Hunt down some good bootlegs. Acton, Osaka, Seattle '01 (forget the venue) are the best, all of which sound good enough to be straight up live albums.

His best stuff post-Clash but pre-Mescaleros is unfortunately scattered across several soundtracks, movies, Earthquake Weather B-sides, bootlegs, and albums by other bands.

Ray, do me a favor, could you flick that once?

Yeah, great post. The problem with feminist songs is like you said: the self-consciousness of writing a song that "makes a statement."

How about good feminist anthems?
I can't think of any. I like Sleater-Kinney a lot but can't think of any songs of theirs I liked that were overtly feminist (Ladyman and #1 Must Have were a little too preachy).

I love all the Pogues albums with Shane as frontman, but I think Lillywhite figured out their sound better than anybody else, maybe even Joe Strummer.

Pogues.
If I Should Fall From Grace With God is pretty easily their best album and I thank Lillywhite for that. It's a beautifully produced album.